The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Tuesday demolished shanties, beer parlours and other illegal structures in designated Parks and Gardens in Wuse Zone 6 area of Abuja in continuation of its reinforced measures to mitigate abuse of such places.
The FCTA ,through a joint team drawn from relevant departments and agencies under the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), raided and destroyed illegal structures within Surich Park, and two other Parks in Wuse Zone 6, for operating without approval or outside the land Use Act.
It was observed that the FCTA officials, accompanied by a a joint security personnel carried out the demolition exercise, after the operators or occupiers of the affected structures were allowed to salvage their valuable wares from the Parks.
About two weeks ago, the AMMC officials went round identifying infraction within Parks, with the aim of sanitising them in line with the purposes for which they were allocated to their developers and operators.
Speaking during the exercise, Director, Development Control Department, Murktar Galadima, noted that it was a follow up to its ongoing sensitisation campaign and enforcement of development standard, which the government will continue till it has achieved its goal.
Galadima said it was going to be all over the nation’s wherever there are designated parks to ensure prevailing activity is in line with what was approved for the development of such parks.
He also cautioned operators of Parks and Recreational Spots not to do any transaction with any person that is not officially assigned to do such transaction.
According to him: “This administration have been up and doing in regards to implementation of our standard.
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“I’ll like to caution them (operators of parks) not to deal with anybody not officially assigned to do that responsibility, because sometimes some touts will claim that they’re working for the constituted authorities whereas it’s not true. However if any of our staff is found wanting, we are going to apply the civil service rule.”
Director, FCT Parks and Recreation Department, Ali Ukele, said the affected parks were not designed for recreational purposes but supposed to be developed for basic Park form, which entails that they should have green and park benches.
Ukele said: “we are not supposed to have buildings in them, so that’s the infractions observed.
“There are some park operators that have approved allocations, but a lot of them don’t have, so if you don’t have and you are operating illegally this operation will also catch up with you.
“We have shanties where people are sleeping within the parks, and you can see all sort of things in the Parks, there are laundry services, and all sort of shanty related activities, so we can’t allow the trend to continue.
“Also, there are security threats, because people sleep in Parks, and we have complaints from residents, because people come from parks and then rob or disturb them in the night, then disappear into the parks, so this is the issue.”
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